Sunday, July 31, 2016

Keeping it going- Day 25 of runnng streak, Day 22 of Sugar Free Challenge*

I felt like crap today.

I ran fine yesterday morning, then I went to work at a concessions stand at a big soccer game nearby.  I spent about seven hours on my feet helping serve food.

I wound up staying up late catching up with the family after being gone all day.

I didn't sleep well, and woke up stiff and achy.

Not optimal conditions for running.

I started out like I was in quicksand, my legs felt so heavy.

I thought, "There's no way I'm going to make 2 miles plus today." And I was right.

I barely got through a mile today, just enough to keep the streak going.  I had to at least do that.

Sometimes, the effort is all we have.  We just don't have it that day.  We want to break records, feel great at the end of our workout, a sense of accomplishment at a job well done.

But there are days that we have nothing in the tank.  Nothing.  Yet we go on anyway.

We do something, and something is always better than nothing.

I'm hoping my energy returns and I'm able to smash it tomorrow.  Monday mornings are usually pretty invigorating for me, so I fully expect to be back on track, running a little farther than my Saturday run.

And I'll be inspired to write something good that will be helpful to you.

Remember that even if you're tired or not feeling your best that you still need to try to do what you need to do.  If you're sick or injured, rest and feel better.  Otherwise, give it a go and do something.  Make the effort.

Have a great Sunday!

Today's run:  1.02 miles, verified by Nike + running app

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Focusing on what's good - Day 24 of running streak, Day 21 of Sugar Free Challenge*

Great run this morning!  Got in bed a little late after picking up the oldest kid from a concert, so I slept in an hour.  Not my best time, but my longest distance so far during the streak.

I remembered something interesting this morning from my previous times I ran.

Running gives you time by yourself, time to think about things.  That's good and bad.  Great thoughts pop into your mind, like the boys' soccer season getting started this past week.  I love it when that happens, my favorite time of year.

But then bad thoughts come in. Like bills to pay, and things that you have to do today that you don't want to.

I felt myself starting at a pretty decent pace this morning.  Thoughts were positive and happy.

Then I started thinking about bills and obligations, and I felt myself start to drag a little.  A lot.  I was, to use a word I hate, jogging.

And I remembered from before:  when I think positive or neutral thoughts, I tend to go at a quicker pace and feel better about my run.  When I'm thinking about difficult stuff, I slow down.

I've said many times that I'm not a fast runner.  I'm not trying to beat times out there, not at this point anyway.

But I am trying to go just a little farther every day, at a decent pace. 

We can't and shouldn't ignore unpleasant things.  We have to face them and deal with them as they come along.  Otherwise the stress can manifest itself in comfort eating, depression, alcoholism and/or drug addiction, smoking, or health problems.  Like heart disease.

We absolutely need to be responsible for ourselves.

But when we're doing something we love, or have really been looking forward to, we need to focus on what's good about what we're doing.  Sure we still have all those monsters waiting on us later.  But they can wait a little while longer while I read this book.  Or go running.  Or call a friend, or write in my blog.

When you do something for yourself, let your mind go.  Be in that moment.  Let yourself be.  It's a little treasure that you give yourself.

When I realized that I was thinking negatively, I simply let those thoughts go and didn't think about anything.  My running became more purposeful and I felt myself begin to move faster.

I ended the run at a quicker pace than my 1 mile pace.  No records broken, but my bad thought cycle was broken.  And they're only thoughts anyway, right?  Can't wait to see what happens today.

Today's run:  2.27 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Better late then never - Day 23 of running streak, Day 20 of Sugar Free Challenge*

I'm late again, y'all.  Sorry.

Not as late as yesterday.  It's still daytime.  But not either of my usual writing times.

What's going on?  What's wrong with me?  Will I have to stop writing?

Of course not.  I'll keep writing forever now.  It's one of the things that keeps me going every day.

Maybe it will be about running and fitness and diet, maybe it will be about something else.  I don't know.

I used to write when I was a kid in high school.  My English teacher Mr. Greth told me that I was one of the best creative writers that he had ever taught.  That he used my stories as models well after I graduated.

He would probably hate my terrible use of punctuation and my prepositions at the beginnings of sentences.  But he'd like what I'm writing about, I think.  See what I did there?

I wanted to write stories and novels and plays, but I decided that it wasn't very practical.  So I stopped and went to college for business.

When I started college for business, I wanted to change my major to double in communications and drama.  My business advisor talked me out of it.  Wasn't practical.  I went on to be a very average business student, and acted in some plays in college, and sang in a heavy metal band, and played tennis.  And I met my wife there.

We moved to New York City in 1994, finally deciding not to be practical so that I could go to acting school.  I became one of the only students who graduated with an A+ in speech and dialects.  It was truly the time of our lives.

And when I didn't get a ton of acting work, you guessed it, I went back to business.  I found a great job and made some great money, and acting kind of drifted away.

You're getting the idea here, right?  I kept trying to do what I wanted to but kept going back to what was SAFE.  I thought anyway.

20 some years after New York, I'm acting some.  I was just in Phantom of the Opera and Oliver! last year, and I'm part of a fantastic local group with great local acting and writing talent.  And I'm in a heavy metal band again.

I've decided that it's never too late to do what I want to do.  Never.

Well, it was almost too late for me about six months ago.  But I got to live.

You never know what life will throw at you.  Right now, I'm dealing with something pretty big.  But it's not going to throw me, not again.  No matter what.

I'll keep on writing and acting and singing and rocking.  Better late than never!

Today's run:  2.23 miles, verified by Nike + running app.


Thursday, July 28, 2016

Can't believe it's 9:30 pm - Day 22 of running streäk, day 19 of Sugar Free Challenge*

It's been a rough day.

The day controlled me today instead of me controlling it.  That's not good.

I did run this morning, 2.21 miles.  It was a good run, particularly because I got a good night sleep last night.

After that, it got messy.

We all have days like this, right?  That just get away from us?

We try to get it under control but it just doesn't work out.

So what do we do?  Go to bed angry?  Not write in our blog?

No way.  We squeeze a little more out of the day, maybe just enough to do one or two of the things that we love to do every day. 

Like tell our family that we love them.  Spend a few minutes talking with them, making sure that they're in a good place.  How has their day been? 

Or write our thoughts down.  So that maybe others can read them.  So that you can help someone else who's having a bad day.

 I hope you've had a great day today, that your day hasn't run you. 

I hope you've done some things that are important to you, that helped you be more creative or healthy. 

I'll do better tomorrow.  I'll write better tomorrow.  Good night!

Today's run - 2.21 miles, verified by Nike + running app

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

What I'm eating today and every day - Day 21 of running streak, Day 18 of Sugar Free Challenge*

Happy Lunchtime everybody!!

It's been a great day so far; hope you all are having a great day too.

When people find out that I'm running every day, I get about three or four different responses.

Some of them give me the ones I've talked about so far:  "I wish I had time for that", "I can't run or I would", "I'm too busy for that", etc.  I've already addressed those, so I won't rehash today.

Some get worried:  "Do you think that's too much?"  My answer:  no.  When I ran regularly back in 2008, I got up to about 30-35 miles per week.  Right now I'm at about 15.  So I have some room to go.  And like I said on Day 1, if I get injured, I'll stop.

Some say it's inspirational and that they want to do it too, and get started.  Great! That's fantastic.

You don't have to run every day.  You can if you want to.  You need to do something physical every day though.

Sometimes I get asked about diet.  This is important because you can't just exercise or just eat well to maximize your health.  You need to do both.

You can't out-exercise your diet.  My 14 year old son is trying to do this.  I told him if he ever quits playing soccer he'll weight 300 lbs.

So what do I eat every day?  It's a little different but basically something like this:

Breakfast:  1 cup of plain oatmeal sweetened with honey and a banana cut up in it, with a splash of 1% milk.

Lunch:  a couple apples, some grapes, some watermelon today (delicious!  Seeded is WAY better than seedless) and a mozzerella cheese srick for protein.

Snack:  nuts of any kind, an ounce or two.  Maybe some sweet potato chips or blue corn chips from Aldi

Dinner:  A lean meat of some kind (chicken or fish, grilled or broiled), a vegetable or fruit, maybe a grain (rice or couscous).  Beef once a week at most

Lots of water during the day and coffee with half and half and Truvia to sweeten it.

I'm surprisingly fuller and more fulfilled by my meals now than when I was eating cheeseburgers and sweet garbage from the convenience store.  Maybe it's not so surprising.

What do you eat?  Try something like my diet if you need to make a change.

Today's run - 2.19 miles, verified by Nike + running app.




Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Thank you and some other important things I should say - Day 20 of running streak, Day 17 of Sugar Free Challenge*

Thank you!  My blog, only 20 days old, has gone over 600 views!!  Small in the vast expanse of the Internet, but big enough to let me know that you are reading it and hopefully enjoying it.

Thank you also to my loyal Facebook friends who are taking the time to read my thoughts every day.  You're letting me know that you like the blog, and I really appreciate it.

I changed SFC back to Sugar Free Challenge* because my daughter just started reading my blog and didn't know what SFC was.  I figured there must be some others out there that may be curious as well.

How is the Sugar Free Challenge* going for me?  WONDERFULLY!!!!!

As I mentioned way back on my fourth entry, I gave up sugar in the following ways:  manually added into food, sugary foods (cereal, baked goods, soft drinks, sweet tea, etc.).  I did not give it up in non-sweet commercial foods that already have it, like bread, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, etc.

I also didn't give up fruit.  Or coffee (I use Truvia now, which is derived from a plant, so I think it's okay).

I feel so much better now!  More weight is starting to come off and I really do not miss it.  The weight or the sugar.  Okay, I do miss it sometimes, like when I walk into the QT to pay for gas and see the giant donut rack in there with the .69 donuts after 8.  But I usually don't miss it.

It's just emptiness, sugar.  Empty calories, bad for your teeth, bad for your digestion...

Eat fruit.  It gives you the sweet, plus you get lots of other great stuff like fiber and vitamin C.

Don't eat baked stuff.  Okay, if Grandma wants you to eat a homemade cookie or two, it's probably okay unless you're doing my SFC*.  Then it's not.

But that wrapped stuff at the convenience store?  Those giant sticky buns and fruit pies?  Stay the hell away from those.

Not just for the sugar, but for the crap put in those things that make them stay "fresh" for 6-12 months or longer.  You really want to eat that?

I did.  I used to be addicted to those things.  Then I had heart disease.

Amazing how heart disease can change your outlook on food and exercise and rest.

And thankfulness.  Thank you again and again for reading.  I hope reading this is helping some of you; it's helping me to write it.

They say that the best way to learn something is to teach it.  I look forward to all of us learning together for a long time to come.

Today's run - 2.17 miles, verified by Nike + running app

Monday, July 25, 2016

Harder than yesterday? - Day 19 of running streak, Day 16 of SFC*

Okay, so I was determined NOT to make the same mistakes that I made yesterday.

So much for that.

I went to sleep around 11 and got up at 5 - that's 6 hours of sleep.  NOT ENOUGH.

Put the clothes on, the shoes on, opened the front door...and I had to go.  Couldn't turn back, wouldn't be able to do it later.

Man I felt bad.  You could have knocked me over with a feather.

But I started my Nike + running app and got going anyway.  That's kind of my theme, right?  You don't feel like doing it, but you do it anyway.

I am not a fast runner.  Ask any of my fast running children.  They will tell you.  I am incredibly easy to beat 1v1 in soccer, even though I am still larger and craftier than any of them.  But they are faster.

Pretty much everyone is faster.

But this morning I felt especially slow.  I celebrate my "fast times", but don't really dwell on them.  This is why.  I heard the app tell me, "Average time, 9.30 minutes per mile."

Geez, I could walk it faster.

But I didn't get down, just said to myself, "it's a slow day, just be glad you pushed through and got out here."  So I did.

I thought again about stopping short of my distance for the day, but just kept trudging along.

Just kept going.

Life is like that, isn't it?  Some days we break records, some days we achieve greatness.

Other days, we do what we're supposed to, expecting great results, but we don't get them.  We plod along, doing what we do every day.  And our greatness has to be suspended until tomorrow or the next day.

Sometimes our going through the motions creates opportunities for great things.  And, sometimes it doesn't.

But we'll never know if we don't have these days, will we?  We have to put the work in no matter what.

So I got to my distance, slowly.  Maybe I'll go faster and farther tomorrow.  Either way, I'll be out there, putting the work in.  Hope you all are doing that too.

Today's run:  2.15 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

The Hardest Run Yet - Day 18 of running streak, day 15 of SFC*

Today was the hardest run yet since I started the streak.

We went to the beach for the day yesterday and didn't get home until 1:30 am.  I don't recommend it.

I tried getting up at 7, even got up and put on my running stuff.  I walked out the front door, and immediately realized that it wasn't going to work.  I  hadn't had enough sleep.  So I turned around, walked back to the bedroom, took off my stuff and slept for another hour.  I got up at 8 and went for it.

As you already know, I run in the dark.  It's cool and I'm alone and there are no cars.

At 8 am it's all messed up.  It's bright, and hot, and there are a lot of cars.  So bright.  I really don't like it. 

The damned phone wasn't working right either.  The alerts on the running app kept going off every two seconds, instead of once a mile like normal.  It was driving me crazy.

I chugged along, wondering when I would quit.  A mile again, or more?  I was sure I wouldn't make it 2+ miles today.  Just far too unpleasant.

And then I heard the app announce my best time ever after one mile.  Didn't feel like it at all.  Felt like I was running in mud.

So I had to keep going.  I couldn't stop at a mile, or a mile and a half.  I had to keep at it, so that I could see how it came out, how I finished.

So bright, so hot.  It was awful.

As I got close to the end, I started glancing down at the phone.  2.00 miles, 2.01, 2.02... wouldn't be long now.

2.09...just had to get to 2.10.  Why wouldn't it turn over?  It was taking forever.

Finally, it moved to 2.13.  It skipped all the numbers in between!  This is why I never look at it.

So I ran a little farther and faster today than I had to, by accident.  And it was great.  Fastest mile yet.

And I had thought about quitting at one mile.  If I wouldn't have known I was setting a personal record, I probably would have.

How many other times have I done this?  How many other times have I quit when I shouldn't have?

I'll never quit again.  I'll get tired and stop, but I won't give up ever again.  Neither should you.

You just might do something great!

Today's run:  2.13 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

A Short Run - Day 17 of running streak, day 14 of SFC*

I only ran a mile today.

There have been times in the past where I would have said, "Wow!  I ran a mile today!" Now, it's disappointing.

I know as the miles add up, I'll be having to throw these short runs in.  And my legs felt like lead today.  Didn't get enough sleep; late phone call from the daughter woke us up.  I couldn't get back to sleep for a while.  All is well, I was just restless.

Today's entry is about being tired but doing it anyway.

Another excuse that we give ourselves is "I don't feel like it today."

"I don't feel like running, or going to the gym."   "I don't feel like making another phone call at work."   "I just don't feel like cooking today."

Are you sick?  Are you tired? Are you physically unable?

"No.  I just don't feel like it."

This is the same as saying, "I'm okay with failing today.". Or, "My health/job/family just isn't that important to me." Worst one:  "It's okay for me to not take care of myself or others today."

If you're suffering from depression, please see a doctor or counselor.  I'm not making fun; I'm totally serious.  Because depression can make you feel like not doing anything, including living.

I didn't feel like running today.  But I did it anyway.  I felt obligated to myself to exercise, and I felt obligated to you to write about it.

Not feeling like doing something is just an excuse most of the time.  We're afraid to try, or we've had a bad day and just want to wallow.  Or we're mad about something.  Or 100 other stupid reasons.

Feelings are often a smoke screen for insecurities.  They often hide or distort reality.

So when you get a dose of the "I don't feel like its", recognize it for what it is.  Nothing.

It's nothing.  It's not sickness, injury, or depression.  We've covered those bases.

If it's nothing, then there's no reason to even think about it.  Just go do what you need to do.

I have had to battle "I don't feel like it" thousands and thousands of times.  It used to win every time.

Now I beat it almost every time.  You can too.

Go do what you want and need to do.  Get the most out of your day, your moments.  Go to bed tonight knowing that you were fully present today, that you wrung everything you could out of this day.

Now I've got to go do some things I don't feel like doing.

Today's run:  1.05 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Living after midnight - Day 16 of running streak, day 13 of SFC*

"Livin' after midnight, rockin' til the dawn, lovin' til the mornin', then I'm gone, I'm gone..."

At almost 50 years old, I don't do any of those things anymore.  I mean, I do them, just before midnight.  I'm usually too tired to do any of them after midnight.

I've mentioned our band a few times in this blog, yet another thing I'm grateful for (see yesterday's blog about being grateful).  We're a bunch of guys in our late 40s-early 50s who play heavy metal from the 70s and 80s.  The band's called Rusty Metal, and we found each other through Craig's List, of all places.

They are fantastic musicians, and I hadn't sung this kind of music publicly for over 30 years.  But it worked out great, and I'm finding my metal voice again.  Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy, early Motley Crue:  we have about 30 songs under our belt.

They were kind enough to wait on me to recover from heart surgery and not replace me.  Which I am REALLY grateful for.

We lost one of our guitarists recently.  His company was shutting down and he had to work insane hours to help keep the company going until the end.

Without two guitars, no Maiden, no Priest, not much of anything.  More importantly, he's a great guy that's fun to hang with.

Did I mention that we're all family men with regular jobs that just like to get together and jam?  It keeps us off the street, I guess.

When I got to rehearsal last night, I was thrilled to hear his voice from the rehearsal room.  And to hear him split the solo with our other great guitarist on "Aces High".

Anyway, one of our best songs that we do is "Living After Midnight" by Judas Priest.

Not their heaviest song, but a classic that everybody knows.

It's funny to sing those young man's lyrics when you're...old.  Maybe you remember when you did all that.

When I hit the road on my run at 5:05 this morning, I thought:  I'm Living After Midnight.  Really living.  I passed some other folks running who were also living after midnight, rockin' til the dawn.

I saw some more at 5:30, some more at 6:30 when I was on my way to work.

Then I was gone, I was gone.  Disappearing into traffic with a smile on my face.

Have a great day!!

Today's run:  2.08 miles, verified by Nike + running app.  Video for Living After Midnight by Judas Priest:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEeJbXcxy1k&list=RDgEeJbXcxy1k

Thursday, July 21, 2016

How's it going? - Day 15 of running streak, Day 12 of SFC*

Happy Thursday lunchtime, everybody!

So how's it going?  Are you having a good day?

If so, great!  Why are you having a great day?  It's funny that everyone asks why you're having a bad day, but never why you're having a great day.

Maybe it's because we want to have sympathy for others.  Maybe we want to compare our lousy day with theirs.  Maybe we're jealous.

So why has your day been great?

Did you get plenty of sleep last night?  Did you get enough?  Too much?  Did you wake up refreshed, ready to face the day?  Or are you dragging around because you didn't get enough?

Did you exercise this morning?  Or are you looking forward to exercising later?  Either way, I hope you do something.

Did you have something great happen today?  Get an email or a text from a friend that you didn't expect?  Get some good news?

Or are you just grateful for all of the good things in your life?

Do you have a nice lunch waiting for you, or maybe you're eating it while reading this?

Do you have plans for later today or tonight that you're looking forward to?

Or are you just happy to be alive and appreciative for all of the wonderful things in your life?

We all have struggles, every single day.  Finances can be a biggie.  Relationship problems.

We look in the mirror, and we don't like what we see.  We just want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our heads.

I get it.  I've been there.  Lots of times.

Here's the thing:  when you do that, when you give up, the problems get worse.  They don't go away.  Ever.

I will have problems tomorrow.  So will you.  So will everybody.

Maybe my problems aren't as big as yours, or vice versa.  That's really subjective, isn't it.

So here's what you do.  You get up, you get going.  You do something.  You think of something in your life to be grateful for, and you hang onto that for dear life.

In my case, I could have died six months ago.  I got lucky, went to the doctor, and had open heart surgery the next day to bypass an artery that was 99% blocked.  So I got to live.  That's what I have to hold onto.

My oldest son will be 14 on Monday.  I can't believe it.  He's as tall as me; can't believe that either.

And I almost wasn't here to celebrate that.  Or my 27th wedding anniversary coming up with the best wife anyone could ever have.  Or write this blog.  Or anything.

So in spite of all the crap going on, all of the problems, all the static, I hang onto that and run.  Every single day.  I eat better.  I sleep more.  I snack well, most of the time.

And I am grateful.  For every moment that I get to see my wife and kids, to sit in traffic on the way to work, to be annoyed by the news.

So I hope you're having a great day, for whatever reason.  And I hope if you're not, you can find something in your life to be grateful for.  Hold that in your mind, and get to work.

Today's run - 2.07 miles, verified by Nike + running app.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Why lunchtime can be fun - Day 14 of running streak, day 11 of SFC*

Happy Wednesday lunchtime everybody!!

Run was great again this morning!  Air was fairly cool, saw some other folks up walking, their smartphones glowing in the dark like mine.  We looked like giant sweaty fireflies.  But everyone was pleasant.

I wonder how many of us will still be out there when it gets cold.

Sugar-free challenge* is still going GREAT.  Refused some banana muffins this morning, getting my sugar (fructose) from an apple and some pineapple tidbits.  Yum.

I track my food and exercise on a terrific app called MyFitnessPal.  Just go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to download on your phone or computer/tablet.  You can set fitness goals here, and you can track any food.  Their database has like 50,000 foods in it, and you simply have to type "Aldi Pineapple Cup" or something general like that in the search bar to get the food that you need to log.  It's awesome.  AND you can track your exercise here too.

Here's where lunchtime can be fun.  You log your exercise first, which puts you at a calorie deficit for the day.  In other words, you start the day below zero on your calorie requirements.

I'm making this too complicated.  You get extra calories to eat!!!  There it is!!!!

Also, if you're eating well and keeping an eye on your food, you feel proud of yourself.  You've already accomplished something for the day.  Then when you look at your remaining calories for the day, you have a lot left for supper and healthy snacks later.  Or if you're full, you can stop eating and leave those calories on the table.

That's it for today!  Hope you all found some time in your day to do something that's really important to you.

Today's run:  2.05 miles, verified by the Nike + running app.  Here's my activity through today:  https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/p/myactivity/


Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Making time for what's really important - Day 13 of running streak, day 10 of SFC*

Happy Tuesday everybody!

Great run this morning:  2.03 miles!  Felt great, just felt wonderful to be alive this morning.

One of the great feelings of running early and finishing and starting your cool down is the feeling of the cool early morning air sweeping over you.  It's so refreshing, especially after you've just pushed yourself through some challenging exercise.

I wish you all could feel what that's like.  It's a simple pleasure of life that everyone should get to experience at one time or another.

I will probably hit a nerve this morning, but I feel like if I don't do that every day that you'll stop paying attention.

How many of you say, "I'd love to exercise/eat better/do what I enjoy but...I don't have time"?

Here's the deal:  you do have time.  We all have time.  We just choose to use it in different ways.

Sure, you have a job or a business to run.  That takes time.  You have to get there, maybe.  That takes some more time.

You have a family to make dinner for, or wash their clothes, or check up on homework, or whatever.  All demands on your precious time.

I have told you the importance of a good night's sleep, so you need to do that too.

So when do you do it?

You look at the other time that you have.  Watching TV, or being online.  Before work, like I do, or right after work.  The time that you're "getting comfortable".  Comfort is the enemy, folks.

I could sleep in, and get that extra half hour or so.  But then I wouldn't be able to run, or write this blog.  Because that's the only time I have to do it every day.

No distractions, no calls, no emails, no demands.  Just me and the road and the darkness.

And the wonderful cool early morning air.

And I'm not just talking about exercise here.  I'm talking about that book you want to read, or that business you want to start, or that podcast you want to listen to.

Leisure time is what you give up to do the things that you really want to do.

Look at your life.  Is it how you want it?  What do you need to change?

Change it.  Do it.  Tomorrow doesn't really exist; it's just a concept  Only today, only this moment.

Don't wait until next Monday, or the perfect time.  There's no such thing.  Look at your time today and do it.

Then do it the next day, and the next, until it becomes a habit.  Until you can't imagine NOT doing it.

That's how you make time for what's really important, what's been missing from your life to really make it better.

I hope that you will try this today, as soon as you can.  Have a great day!

Today's run:  2.03 miles, verified by Nike + running app.






Monday, July 18, 2016

Why sleep is important: GREAT podcast for you - Day 12 of running streak, Day 9 of SFC*

Happy Monday everyone!

Why are you moaning and groaning??  It's Monday, back to business, back to getting into the swing of things.  You make the most of it, whatever your situation is.

I got decent sleep last night, still not quite enough, but enough to feel refreshed.  Banged out 2.01 miles; first time over 2 miles in a LONG time.  Felt great, felt accomplished.  Wonderful to feel the cool morning air as I walked back home for my cool down.

I mention sleep on here a lot.  I was severely sleep deprived for several years before my heart surgery. Since then, I've learned much more about the importance of sleep, to the point where I think that my lack of sleep helped cause my heart problems.  I was (am) overweight, but not by a lot.  I didn't eat all of the right foods, but I wasn't completely off the rails.  Genetics?  Maybe, but I'm adopted, so I don't know whether I'm genetically predisposed for heart disease.

But I know I was getting 4 1/2-5 hours of sleep almost every night.  Almost EVERY night.  For years.

My cardiologist says I'm supposed to get 7 1/2 hours of sleep every night.  That's my optimum number.

Everybody's different, but in general you should be sleeping between 7-8 1/2 hours every night.

When did we get to the point where we thought that something like that is absolutely necessary for health and well-being is unimportant?  Or that you're a wimp if you can't function on little sleep?

Arianna Huffington asks that question too.  You know her; she is a successful author and runs The Huffington Post.  A very driven and achievement-oriented person.

She collapsed from sleep deprivation a few years ago on a college tour with her daughter.

So she learned about the dangers of sleep deprivation, and how to overcome it and get the right amount of sleep.

Here's a link to a fantastic podcast about sleep hosted by James Altucher, featuring Arianna Huffington:  http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/05/arrianna-huffington/.  If you don't pay attention to anything else on this blog, please do this!  It could save your life.  I care about you way too much for you to not pay attention to this.

Have a great day, and get some sleep!!!!

Today's run:  2.01 miles, verified by Nike + running app.


Sunday, July 17, 2016

The Mission, part 2: Success and failure - Day 11 of running streak, day 8 of SFC*

Yesterday's mission was a big success.

We drove to Atlanta, found the kid, picked her up, drove her from Atlanta to Murrells Inlet, SC, dropped her off at second mission group, and drove home.  Left the house at 10 am Saturday, got back at 2:30 am Sunday.  844.4 miles.

We had a good time, with the kid telling us about the relationships that she made with the poor kids in Nicaragua, and how good her high school Spanish was in communicating with them.  Turns out it was actually pretty helpful.

Our boys got picked up from Boy Scout camp by my wife's cousin and spent the night with them.  we called them and heard about a fun week of earning Merit Badges and passing swim tests.  Look forward to hearing more about that today after we bring them home.

That mission was a success.  With help, we got everyone where they needed to be and made it safely back home.

Then I got up to run this morning.  I let myself sleep until 8, but still sleep deprived after 5 1/2 hours of sleep.  Then I remembered that I loaned the boys my phone that has the Nike + running app on it.
Crap, no way to verify.  Oh well, I'll run anyway and estimate it.

I chugged along, half a mile, three quarters, one mile; I've gotten to know checkpoints now.

My legs felt like lead.  I wondered if I could go on.  I was so tired, plus my legs had been folded up for the better part of 16 hours.

So I stopped somewhere around 1.2 or 1.3 miles.

Mission failed.  I knew the day would come where I wouldn't run farther than the day before, I just didn't think it would come this soon.

I still did my mile plus, and it was witnessed by some walkers and some strolling moms.  But I still feel like I failed some.  So on a mission, you can succeed and fail, because my mission from yesterday is still in tact. 

Tomorrow I'm breaking 2 miles.  See you then.

Today's run - 1.2 miles, witnessed by neighbors and walkers that I don't know.  Nike + running app not available.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

The Mission - Day 10 of running streak, Day 7 of SFC*

We are going on a journey today.  My wife, daughter and I.

It started with my run this morning.  I grabbed an extra hour of sleep and got up at 6, and averaged 8.32 minutes per mile.  If I hadn't gotten the extra sleep, I wouldn't have been able to do that.

We are driving from our home to Atlanta, to pick up our daughter from her mission trip in Nicaragua.  l can't wait to see her and hear all about it.  Then, we're driving from there to take her to another mission experience near Myrtle Beach.  Then we're probably driving home after that.  It's a total of like 12 hours in the car.

Crazy, yes.  Totally worth it?  You bet.

The kid loves doing mission work.  I told her one time that there's not a lot of money in that.  She smiled and told me that it's okay, she doesn't need much. 

Something tells me that she's going to be okay.

We all have missions, don't we?  Taking care of our children, our spouses, going to work.

Those are some of my missions too.  I also have a mission to run every single day and write this blog.  I want to be healthy, and I hope if you read it that it will help you be healthy too.

One of your missions should be taking care of YOU.  If you can't be healthy because you're doing too much other stuff, then eventually the other stuff won't matter.  Because you won't be here to do it.

It almost happened to me.  But I'm alive, and joyful, and blessed beyond comprehension.

What's your mission?

Today's run:  1.92 miles, verified by Nike + running app.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Our food is full of sodium, and that sucks - Day 9 of running streak, Day 6 of SFC*

 Good run this morning, no speed records broken but ran 1.9 miles.  Longest yet on this streak.

Saw some weird animals crossing the road ahead of me; not sure if they were raccoons or Bigfeet.  Bigfoots?  I was a little sleep deprived again.

Our lead guitarist had to quit our band because of work, so that stinks.  Thought about that a lot on the run.  Also, kids coming home tomorrow!  Can't wait to hear about their adventures in Nicaragua and at Boy Scout camp.

Anyway, sodium...do you know why it's bad for you?  I mean in excess; we have to have some salt every day.  Raises your blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, thereby putting extra strain on your heart.  Eating too much sodium increases your risk for not only heart disease, but stroke, osteoporosis, kidney disease and stomach problems.  But I ate two "healthy" things yesterday, supposedly healthy anyway, and they were LOADED with sodium.

I ate a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich from Panera Bread as part of my lunch yesterday.  Sounds good right?  I had no idea what the nutrition info was.  Ate it, logged it on MyFitnessPal app:  570 calories, 1430 mg of sodium!!  I'm on a net 1620 calories/day diet for heart health and supposed to cap out at 2300 mg of sodium for the DAY.

Second bad choice that I thought was good:  rice pilaf from Zoe's Kitchen.  Ate it before band practice; not bad, right?  Vegetarian, no fat, etc., right?  6.55 ounces (what I ate) had only 346 calories but 1290 mg of sodium and 15g of fat!  In RICE!!

Naturally, if you made these things at home they would be nowhere near as bad for you.  So do that if you can.  If you have to eat out, be very careful what you get.  The so-called "healthy" places like Panera (their new ads bother me a lot where they promise healthier food by next year but say nothing about sodium) are just a joke.  Might as well have a cheeseburger.

Today's run:  1.90 miles, verified by Nike+ running app.  Still sugar free*!

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Anything I can do, you can do better - Day 8 of runnng streak, Day 5 of SFC*

Waking up at 5.  I'm used to it by now.  Like I said before, I have the pesky yet useful internal alarm clock that gets me up at 5 now whether I want to or not. 

It's certainly useful for running.  I don't know when I'd run if I didn't do it early.

Are you doing anything for exercise?

This isn't accusatory; I'm really concerned.

I know that running at 5 am isn't for everybody.  I know this because at most I'll see a handful of people out there when I do my run.  Neither is running every day; I'm sure some of you think it's foolish.  Maybe it is.

But what are you doing?

"I don't have enough time.". Yes you do.  That's just an excuse.  Look at your day.  Does someone have their hands on all of your time?  Then you need to take 30 minutes of it back for you.  Walk, or go to the gym, stroll around.  Whatever.  Your health and well-being is more important than just about anything you have to do today.

"I'm afraid I'll look foolish." So don't join an exercise group or class.  Walk by yourself, or with a friend or loved one.  Workout alone with a YouTube video or an early morning exercise TV show. 

"I don't know how to get started.". On your lunch break today, eat your lunch in 15-20 minutes, ten go outside and walk.  Or, as soon as you get home today, change clothes and go for a 15-20 minute walk before dinner.  That's how you get started.  If you don't know how to get started, you're thinking too much.

Please do this, at minimum 3-4 times a week.  It's your life, your body, your time.

You'll never get any of them back. 

I'm not an athlete.  I'm terrible at every sport.  And I'm running.

You don't have to run.  You can walk, or swim, or play soccer or basketball.

If I can get out there, you can too.  And you can do better than me.  Let's go!

Today's run:  1.85 miles, verified by Nike + running app for iPhone

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

YESSSS!!!!!! Plus a GREAT health podcast - Day 7 of running streak, Day 4 of SFC*

What a GREAT day!!!!!  Hope you all have had as great of a start to the day as I have!

This morning's run was fantastic!!!  I don't pay attention to my time but typically it takes me about 9 minutes to run a mile, more or less.  By the end of my run I'm huffing and puffing a good bit.

Today felt different, though.  Got a decent night's sleep; not quite enough but decent.

Started running, got to about a mile, then heard my alert:  "Distance - 1 mile, average time 8:39 seconds."  HUGE for me.  I typically slow down as the run goes on, but today I thought, "I can beat 9 minutes if I just keep going like I am.  Keep the pace up."  I passed a couple other groups of runners and that gave me some more motivation.  And guess what?

1.82 miles, average pace 8.27 minutes per mile!!!! Ran faster between 1 mile and the end!

SMASHED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On day 3 of the sugar-free challenge*, I had no sweets,  nor did I add sugar to anything.  Only sugar was in the bread, peanut butter, fruit and tomato sauce that I ate yesterday.

I haven't noticed any big difference in how I'm feeling yet.  I do feel good about kicking the Cafe Caramel coffee-like beverage in favor of a medium roast actual coffee.  I've been sweetening that with Equal, but I think I'm going to switch to Stevia since that's actually made from a plant.  Unless it's really sugar.  If you know, please let me know by leaving me a comment here or on my Facebook page.

Now, as promised, the link to Dr. Sanjiv Chopra's GREAT podcast on the James Altucher show recently.  You absolutely have to take the time to listen to this:
 http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/07/sanjivchopra/

By the way, if you're not subscribed to James Altucher's email distro, you're missing out.  Check his website out when you get a chance; maybe I'll put a link to that here as well.

Today's run:  1.82 miles, verified by Nike + running app.  Have a fantastic day!


Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Unintentional lies, sugar-free challenge* update and today's run - Day 6 of running streak, Day 3 of SFC*

Hi gang.  Lots to talk about today; I'll try not to meander too much.

First, I unintentionally lied to you yesterday about the sugar.  I told you that my only refined sugar was from a few sips of sweet tea from reflex habit.  A lie.

I found out this morning that the "coffee" that I was drinking from my company's K-cups, Cafe Caramel, isn't really coffee at all, but a sugary beverage with "coffee" as the 11th ingredient listed.
So I was getting added sugar without even knowing it.  Today I switched to a true coffee.  Sorry about that, but do you see how pervasive sugar is?  I mean, I'm even allowing myself sugar in regular non-"sweet" foods like bread, sauces, peanut butter, etc, and in fruit.  And there it was in this "coffee", already added.  It is everywhere, and it is our enemy.

The other sugar news for me is that prior to taking this challenge, I was going way over on my calorie goal on my heart-healthy diet.  My goal for the day is 1660 net calories (figuring in exercise), and even with exercise I was going over by hundreds of calories every day from eating sugary junk.

Last night when I was logging my food for the day I still had 1200 calories to go!  Just from eliminating the garbage that I was getting no nutrition from.

So I need to eat more healthy snacks throughout the day so that I'm not famished by suppertime, or cheat by eating junk with no nutritional value.

This morning's run was wonderful; up at 5, still a little struggle with getting going but worked through that after the first mile.  Then it was just a matter of how far I would go today.

I've abbreviated sugar-free* challenge to SFC in the title so that I don't have to type out "sugar-free* challenge" every day.  I'm still keeping the asterisk though, because I like asterisks.  They make you wonder what's REALLY going on, right?

Tomorrow, I'm going to share a GREAT podcast with you from Dr. Sanjiv Chopra that I heard yesterday.  It is hands-down one of the best, most useful health podcasts that I have ever listened to.
Hope to see you then!

Today's run:  1.79 miles, verified by Nike + running app for iPhone.  Here's my activity since July 2:  https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/p/myactivity.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Sleep-deprived running and sugar-free challenge* update - Day 5 of Streak

Hi everyone!

Did a little sleep-deprived running this morning.

First of all, I don't recommend it.  You should get the right amount of sleep for you every night, and that's different for everyone.  But one of the great things about doing this blog is that it makes me cut out almost every excuse NOT to run, and get out there and do it.  So thank you.  Even those of you who haven't stopped by yet, I'm running and writing at least partially because you expect it.

All in all, it wasn't a bad run.  I actually did more distance in better time than any of my previous recent runs.  But it was the getting going, the starting off, that was hard.

That's always the hardest part for me; that first half-mile or so, when you're telling yourself to go back to bed, or your legs hurt, or it's okay not to go because you can double up tomorrow.  Once I get past that, I'm good to go.

Do you have that problem as well?  Because I bet more of us would run more if we could get past the negative psychology of the beginning of our runs,  Or maybe it's just me.  I'd like to know.

Now, the sugar-free challenge:  are any of you doing it?  I see how many people are reading but I didn't get ONE person to say okay, I'll do this too.  That's okay; try not to feel bad.   I read a lot of stuff without participating as well.

I had a great first sugar-free day yesterday.  Only one tiny slip:  I took a tiny sip of my wife's sweet tea yesterday after lunch because I was carrying it for her.  As soon as I realized it, I said "darn it!" (or something like that) and handed her the tea.  Other than that small slip-up, I was sugar-free* all day, again not counting foods that already had sugar in them (peanut butter, for example) or fruit.

This morning, I had two cups of coffee with Splenda.  I try not to use that either, because I've heard some vague reports that it's bad for you, but I'm not really sure why.  If anyone has anything SOLID on this (not "I heard that it's really formandehyde" or the like) I would appreciate it.

Two apples and two bananas and a cheese stick for lunch.

So that you're not confused, the number in the heading is how many consecutive days I've gone running since I started this blog.  It's actually more than that, but the blog makes it official!  The sugar-free streak I'll mention separately or something.

Have a great day!  Exercise and don't eat sugar!*

Today's run:  1.77 miles, verified by Nike + running app.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

The Sugar-Free Challenge* - Day 4 of streak

Good Sunday morning everyone!

Loved my run this morning!  About 70 degrees, no traffic, just felt good to be alive.

I've been a little bummed lately that the pounds aren't dropping off of me like they did last time.  I mean, I lost like 10 pounds the first week when I started running in 2008.  I'm fairly careful with diet now, so what's different?

Sugar.  That's what it is.  Last time I restricted refined sugar from my diet, and I haven't been doing that this time.  I have a terrible sweet tooth as well, so I'm getting a lot of extra fat and calories as well when I try to soothe my cravings.  So I'm giving myself (and you if you want) a challenge.

I'm quitting sugar*.  See that asterisk?  Here's another one if you didn't see the first one*.

The rules I'm giving myself are:

- no added refined or brown sugar to anything.  Huge because I'm a coffee drinker like nobody's business and I eat oatmeal every morning.  Maybe I can switch to honey for the oatmeal or something.  I don't know what I'm going to do about the coffee.

- no candy or sweet baked goods.  Or dessert.  Man, this is going to be tough.

- fruit is okay.  The benefits far outweigh the natural sugar.  Yay, watermelon!

- sugar in processed foods is okay too, for now.  Sugar free ketchup and tomato sauce is terrible.  Bread's okay too, for now.  But not banana bread.  That's cake.

So I'll start this morning and check in every day.  You want to do this too?  I could use the help.  Just leave a comment here if you're in, or on my Facebook page. 

Suddenly, I want a donut.  😈

Today's run:  1.74 miles, verified by Nike + running app for iPhone.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Running in the morning - Day 3 of streak

Good morning!

It's 5:44 am.  I woke up at 5, like I do most days. 

A lot of you get up early as well.  A lot of you don't.  There's no right or wrong here, just what you're used to combined with what you have to do.

I have an internal alarm that gets me up at 5 no matter what.  It's a combination of annoying and incredibly useful.  I get up, shake the dust off, find my running clothes and shoes in the dark, and get out there most mornings at around 5:10.

I get to the top of the driveway and stretch my hamstrings and torso.  I pull up the Nike + running app on my phone, it counts down 3-2-1 and I start running.

At 5:11 or so each summer morning, it's a fairly comfortable 70 degrees.  I see people running during the day when it's 95 or 100 and I wonder how they live.  Or if they're miserable.  Most of them are really good looking, so they're probably not that miserable.  It's just so HOT during the day; how do they do it?

Maybe they sleep in.  Maybe they would go early if they could.

I run on the road, because there's almost no traffic.  It's exciting because you're not supposed to, because that's where the cars go.  But it's smooth, and clear, and keeps going on forever.  You want to keep going, to see where it goes.

You fight with yourself a little, wondering why you're out there, but that goes away quickly.  The cool air washes over you as you run, and you're suddenly glad to be out there.  Just you, and the night and the quiet.

You think about random things that pop in your mind.  I think about the kid in Nicaragua (told you I would), about bills, about the pizza I ate yesterday and that I shouldn't have.

And before I know it, it's over.  And I'm here, telling you about it.

Running in the morning.  You should really try it. 

Today's run:  1.72 miles, tracked with the Nike + running app.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Nicaragua and me - Day 2 of streak

Day 2

Nicaragua directly affected my run this morning....  Yes, the country of Nicaragua.  I bet they had no idea.

My daughter is going to Nicaragua on a mission trip today.  For a week.  She's 16.

She's traveled internationally before, on a mission trip to Guatemala with our church last year.  She loved it so much, that she jumped at the chance to go to Central America again.

So we were up late finalizing things, getting the last things ready.  She's taking a class online this summer so that she doesn't have to take it during the school year, so she had some assignments to finish, so she was up late too.

I was pretty sleep deprived, but I didn't think it was a good idea to stop my streak at one day.  Especially after starting a blog called "I Run Every Single Day."

So I got up and ran.  I thought about everyone who has visited this blog so far (thanks!) and who might be coming back today.  I couldn't let you down, and I couldn't let myself down.

My daughter drove me to work today.  We had a great time coming in, talking and laughing.

I hugged her goodbye; Mom will be taking her to the airport today.

I will miss her.  I will be thinking of her, thousands of miles away, when I go running tomorrow.  And the next day, and the next.

One of the great and not so great things about running is that it gives you time to think.  It's time that is completely yours, and if you go early, like I do, there's almost nothing else going on.  No cars, no people, no interruptions.  Just you, the road, and your brain.

Have a great adventure kid!

Today's run:  1.70 miles.  Tracked by Nike + running app.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Here's why I started this blog...

After just turning 49, I found out that I had a 99% blockage in my left main artery.  The next day, January 26, 2016, I had double bypass surgery.

I'll give you more of the specifics about that another time.  About how statistically I had a 3% chance of developing heart disease at all.

What it did for me was smack me in the face, and realize that we really don't know how many days we have left.  No idea at all.

I was determined not only to not let heart disease run my life, but to see what adventures were out there for me and my family.  To push myself every day as if it were my last.  Because, well, it could be my last.  You never know.

I used to run back in 2008, when I started running specifically to lose weight.  Between January and September of 2008, through a combination of running and diet, I lost 60 lbs.  I went from 250 to 190 in about six months.  Then I got plantar fasciitis, stopped running, and gained most of the weight back.

So I decided to start running again.  My cardiac rehab is almost over, and I need to do something to get exercise.  But more than that, I wanted an adventure.  A challenge, something that I could write to you about other than just running.

Then I remember seeing a good news item about a guy a few years ago who had run at least a mile every day for over 40 years.  I looked it up just now; the longest active streak running is over 47 years:  http://www.runeveryday.com/lists/USRSA-Active-List.html.  I probably have no chance of hitting that, but I've decided to start my own streak anyway.

My rules for myself:

- I will run at least one mile EVERY DAY, no matter what.  Rain, cold, snow, whatever.  I will be out there every morning.

- Since I just started out a few weeks ago, I will run a little farther every day than I did the previous day.  Even if it's a hundredth of a mile or two.  That will last until I get back into higher mileages, when I'll have to cut it back for safety/injury reasons.

- If I get injured/ill to the point where I can't run, I won't.  I'm not looking to get permanently crippled or anything.  Other than that, I see no reason to get out there every day.

Today I ran 1.66 miles, documented by Nike Run app.  Let's see what tomorrow holds.

- Eric J.